Hollow Memory
by Queen of Travesty
Summary: [SxS][ExT] Sakura, princess and heir of Stalacia. Syaoran, heir to a neighbouring kingdom at 20. Two best friends, a journey for her memory, and the princess's hidden travesty...
1. Chapter 1: A Village in Ruins

**Hollow Memory**

Chapter One – Prelude

**_A Village in Ruins_**

In a state province in the pristine country of Stalacia, a seven-year-old girl watched as her father, emperor of the kingdom, glided towards the huge oak doors of their castle. His sword and power at hand, he patted his daughter on the head and looked down at her with loving eyes.

"Poppa, you're coming back, right?" the little girl asked with all the innocence in her small, puerile world. "You will chase the bad guys out of the village, won't you?"

The king turned around, just as he was about to leave. He walked over to her and placed his gentle hands on her shoulders. "Sakura, my dear princess, if Poppa does not come back, you will take my place. When that happens," His tone was soft and comforting, and it brought tears to the princess's emerald eyes. "You will follow in my footsteps, and guide this kingdom to greater heights."

The great man stood up and walked away. "You won't let me down, princess."

He flung the great oak doors open, and the little princess could only catch a brief sight of the burning village before her father, the almighty ruler, and her beloved Poppa, disappeared into the fiery glaze.

"Come, Your Highness. We must not tarry!" a servant hurried up to Princess Sakura. She handed her a hooded robe to put on, and led her up the winding stairs into an isolated cellar. The forbidden West Wing.

"Her Majesty is waiting for you down this tunnel. Come now, before anyone sees us!" the servant clambered into the cleverly concealed hole at the corner of the cellar, and Princess Sakura watched as the last bit of the servant's white clad disappeared into the dark hole.

Just as she was about to follow after the servant, a glow of light drew her out to the terrace. She followed its trail, and was slowly lifted up into the night air.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Her Highness!" came a muffled cry of apprehension from deep within the tunnels under the castle. "_Her Highness is gone!_"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Before Princess Sakura could come back to her senses, she was dropped gently onto a large plateau off the side of the village. She watched with tears in her eyes as the beautiful suburb collapsed in a mass of ash and debris amidst the tangled flames. She strolled across the dirt of the plateau, her feet crunching on the grass, until she heard a change in the sound her footsteps made. It sounded like she was walking on… Metal.

She looked down and, to her astonishment, saw a huge carving into a metal plate. She was lost in her own world then, just gazing at the beautiful engravement. She could feel her powers building up, but she didn't know why. Just as she thought she might hurtle out her charges, she was shot in the shoulder by… An arrow?

She let a soft whimper, but before she could attack with her fully-charged powers, she was violently hit by her attacker, who was riding a teradon. She fell face down onto the metal base, hitting her head hard. She felt a warm stream of blood – her blood – trickle down her face and drip onto the ground. She clutched her injured shoulder, biting her lips, refusing to cry.

Then, she heard footsteps, and from the corner of her eyes saw that it was a boy on a teradon. This horse-like creature was a tad bit larger than the one she had at home, and its hooves ground to a halting stop as the boy dismounted it.

He unravelled his sword, and lifted her hood with the sharp end of the blade. She looked up at the lad; he was about two years older than she was. The boy had raised up his sword, but his intense eyes were now painted with shock. _It… It's a girl!_

As swiftly as he could, he jumped onto the teradon and galloped away, melting into the shadows of the night. The fallen princess groaned, and mustered all her energy to run back to the castle. But it was no use. After no more than ten steps, a rush of dizziness swept over her, and she faltered into a black, mindless blank.


	2. Chapter 2: My Precious Childhood

_I am barred tight in a room. Darkness engulfs me. I hear the soft tinkle of bells; the sweet smell of mint grass playing around me. I can picture the rhapsody, but I cannot see it. I can imagine the happiness, but I cannot feel the bliss, no matter how hard I try. Suddenly, from across the room, a figure floats through the bars. It is approaching me, noiselessly. As it draws nearer, the scent of mint grows stronger. Stronger. So strong that it starts to choke me, to strangle me. I can see the body, but not the face. I try my hardest to concentrate, but I fail. Suddenly, two hands reach out, and I scream in silence…_

My eyes fluttered open at the shrill cry of my alarm. I felt around for the annoying button and, after groping around, finally shut it off. I dragged myself to the washroom. Looking in the mirror, I let out an exasperated sigh.

Ruffled hair. Droopy eyes, which would later wake up. The creature I look like in the morning. And – Hey, _wait a minute…_

My forehead was beaded with tiny droplets of sweat. What _was_ I doing last night? I sighed again and started brushing my teeth.

"Princess!" an excited call came from the door. My lady-in-waiting, Tomoyo Daidouji, came rushing in. "Mornin', Princess Sakura!"

"Mfrrh thrr lhshh thymh, itshh Sha-ckkuu-ruhh!" I exclaimed in annoyance, having been interrupted while brushing my teeth. Brushing my teeth, in the toilet! Now who gets interrupted at this time?

"_What?_" came an equally annoyed answer. I took a glimpse at the girl standing at the door of my bathroom, and spit the toothpaste out my mouth.

"For the last time, it's Sa-ku-ra!" I frowned. "You can do away with the formalities when there's nobody around, Tomoyo. It's not like we're not friends, you know."

"Okay, Your Hi – I mean – Sakura." Tomoyo blushed a bit, then went back to topic of conversation. "Oh, yes. Prince Syaoran is looking for you!"

I raised my eyebrows as I gurgled my mouth and spit the water out. "Tell him I'm coming."

"And – and – guess what!" Tomoyo was practically stuttering. She _hardly_ stutters. "Sir Eriol's here too…" The tone in her voice whenever she said his name – Eriol – makes me smile. It just reminds me that no matter how smart and tough a friend she is, Tomoyo has her OMIGOSHCUTEGUY! soft side too. Especially when that guy happens to be Eriol Hiiragizawa.

Sometimes, you just _have_ to love her.

I watched as Tomoyo beamed and rushed out the door. I finished up and ran down the sunlit corridor to the main hall, just in time to see Tomoyo and Eriol head out the huge oak doors. Then I saw him. My best friend since forever. There, to the side of the hall, gazing out the window, was…

"Syaoran!" I ran up to him. He looked up and smiled at me, the smile that warmed my heart. He opened up his arms and I ran into them, holding him in tight embrace.

"I missed you," I whispered, breathing in his scent. It always made me feel warm.

"I missed you too." He let go of me and I found myself looking into his deep, amber eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit you like I used to so often," he said in a sad voice. "My mother…"

"I understand," I interrupted. "Would you like to come in?" I led him to my room and we sat down on my bed.

"So, what's up?" he asked me casually as he switched the television on.

"Dad's fussing around about the crowning ceremony," I sighed. "He won't stop nagging. It's _'Sakura you're not behaving yourself'_ this and _'Sakura please be polite'_ that. I can't take it anymore! He thinks I won't uphold myself properly at the ceremony."

Syaoran smirked, that infamous, mischievous boyish grin playing across his lips. "Well, of course she's nagging at you." He reached out and ruffled my hair before I could stop him. "You never care about your image."

I set my hair back into place and threw a pillow at him. **Big** mistake. He growled and pushed me over onto my bed, ruffling my hair even more. I lunged out to punch him in the arm, but he grabbed my fist midair. Then the fooling stopped. He lowered my arm down and his gaze softened.

"Sakura, I missed you so much…" He reached out and caressed my face with his thumb. "We were away so much and as we grew older we grew further apart…"

I looked into his eyes – so intense yet soft when he gazed at me – and saw a spark of melancholy regret in them. "I missed you too, Syaoran…"

His hand caressed down the side of my face, feeling so warm to touch. Suddenly, he bent down and kissed me on my lips. It was soft and tender; I let it linger a second longer than it should before pulling away.

"Syaoran… I want us to stay friends."

His eyes held a moment of confusion, but it soon disappeared. He smiled. "Best friends?"

"As always."

He got off and finally allowed me some breathing space. "Right. So… Hey! The NBA matches are on live man! Check this out!"

But I wasn't listening to him. I was, well, kind of caught up in my sweet reminiscence.

_**Flashback** _

_"Sakura, darling, come over here! I'd like you to meet somebody." I rushed over to my endearing father and leapt into his arms. He hugged me and turned me towards this tall woman, clad in black._

_"Sakura, say hello to Mrs Li!"_

_I smiled and waved. "Ohayo, Mrs Li!" It was then that I noticed a little figure hiding behind the woman I had acknowledged as Mrs Li._

_"Sakura-chan, this is my son, Syaoran Li," Mrs Li said and motioned for him to step out. "He's two years older than you are."_

_"Will you two be friends?" Daddy asked._

_I blushed and flustered. It **was** a boy, but I was glad to. Being the only child in the castle could be lonely. I looked curiously at Syaoran, and reached out to shake his hand. "Hi, I'm Sakura! Pleased to meet you!"_

_"So, he is the heir…?" I heard Daddy murmur to Mrs Li._

_"Yes, at 20. He's not very sociable… I hope they'll get along…"_

_I watched as Syaoran played with Ayuri, the castle dog. He must like dogs a lot! Then a thought occurred to me._

_"Do you like dogs a lot?" I asked Syaoran. Just as he nodded his head I pulled him to the kitchen yard. "Come with me! You'll love this!"_

_As we entered the kitchen, I walked over to a closet and flung open its wide doors. There, lying on the floor, was a mother of four cute little puppies. I watched in delight as Syaoran ran over to cuddle them._

_"Do you like them?" I asked._

_"Very much. Thank you…" Syaoran looked at me blankly._

_"Sakura!" I smiled. He smiled back._

_And that was when Syaoran and I became friends._

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

_"Syaoran! Look at me! I can fly!" I cheered as I swung from a branch of our favourite tree. "You come too, Syaoran! It's funnnnnnnnnnnnn!"_

_"Sakura!" Syaoran rushed over to the tree. "Get down from there! It's dangerous!"_

_"No, I'll be fine!" I laughed as I flung myself up the branch and sat there. "Care to join me?"_

_Syaoran took a while to think._

_"Aw, c'mon, it's plenty fun!" I cheered. "Oh, look! It's a butterfly." I tried to catch it, and I carelessly slipped over a loose arm. I yelped and clung on to the branch._

_"SAKURA!" I heard Syaoran panic from far below. "Hang in there! I'm coming up to help you!"_

_But I couldn't. I couldn't hang in any longer._

_I slipped. An inch off the branch. Another inch. Then I fell. Headlong into the river beside the tree. I screamed… And I crashed into the water._

_I couldn't swim!_

_I tried my hardest to tread in the water. I watched in fear as Syaoran dived into the current._

_I gasped. "Syaoran…!"_

_Suddenly, I felt a pair of strong hands encircle my waist, and I immediately knew Syaoran had come for me. He carried me up the bank and placed me on the ground._

_"Sakura… Are you okay?"_

_I coughed. " I'm sorry…"_

_"Don't be," he whispered as he took off his coat and wrapped it around me. He ran his hands through my hair. "Are you okay?"_

_I nodded weakly. "Thank you for saving me, Syaoran…"_

_"Hey. I'll always be there for you," he smiled and kissed me on the forehead. "Just, would you like to take swimming lessons from me? I won't charge you."_

_I punched him playfully in his arm. "Me, an 11-year-old, taking swimming lessons? Syaoran, don't be ridiculous!"_

_He chuckled softly. "Only joking."_

_I smiled and drifted asleep, on the soft grass by our favourite cherry blossom tree._

_After I had dried off, Syaoran woke me up. "Come, 'tis time you went home. Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"_

_I laughed. Since then, we have been best friends, and now I'm 16. For the record, he has pretty much been there for me, by my tears and laughter._

_**End of flashback** _

"… Will you, Sakura?"

"Huh?" I snapped back to reality, realising that I hadn't been listening to him. "What was that?

"I said the spring carnival will be lots of fun, so won't you go with me this year!" Syaoran grumbled, annoyed that I wasn't listening to him. Suddenly, his eyes twinkled mischievously. _Oh, no…_

"What were you thinking about then?" he teased. "Some dashing guy you met?"

I blushed heavily. How did he know? I mean, yes, Syaoran was cute, but…

"N-no…" I whispered.

"C'mon, you can tell me," Syaoran teased deeper. "I'm your best friend."

"Yes, but…" I sighed. "I wasn't thinking about anyone. I was thinking about… Us."

"Us?" Syaoran echoed with a tone of confusion.

"Yeah…" I blushed again. "Well, um, there's something I've been wanting to tell you, and… Well… I guess I should tell you now."

"Sakura," He gently placed his hands on my shoulder. "You can tell me anything."

I looked into his breathtaking ember eyes. "Syaoran, I think we – you – are– "

"KAIJUU!" The door banged open as the annoying voice boomed into my room. "Dad is looking for…"

I saw Syaoran's face expression turn from concern to fear. I turned around to see Touya scowling.

"Why, you good-for-nothing twerp – !" Touya lunged at Syaoran, but I held him back. "KEEP YOUR FILTHY PAWS OFF MY SISTER! YOU HEAR ME!"

Syaoran let out a girly yelp, just like a puppy (haha), and dashed out the room.

"GAKI LI! COME BACK HERE!" I grimaced as Touya gave chase after Syaoran. It has always been like that, even if Syaoran was only my friend.

Well, I didn't get to tell him today, so I guess it'll just have to wait.

Now. Was he actually asking me to the spring carnival?


End file.
